SHINGLE

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Date for sinking postponed

The sinking of the 'Shingle' in Killala Bay to become an artificial reef, which was scheduled to take place on Sep 15, has been postponed until the following week as a result of unfavourable weather conditions..The fish carrier was seized by Customs officers at Drogheda Port as part of a €14m tobacco seizure in 2014 and was held by the Revenue Commission. It sat in the dry dock at New Ross in the years since. Earkier in 2024, a Maritime Area Consent licence was granted to the Killala Bay Ships 2 Reef project team, a group of diving enthusiasts, to allow them to tow the 'Shingle' to Killala Bay for sinking. Planning permission was then granted by Mayo County Council in July for the preparation, transportation, positioning and placement of the 'Shingle' on the seabed of Killala Bay. The towing operation to bring the ship from the port at New Ross up to Killala will take three days and upon arrival, a company has been employed to prepare the ship for sinking. It was now likely that it will be either Sep 18 or Sep 19 before the ship arrives in Killala Bay.As Ireland’s first artificial reef, it is hoped that the project can bring a boost in diving tourism to the west of Ireland as well as promoting local marine ecology.

Shingle becoming Ireland's first artificial reef

The 'Shingle' will be scuttled to create Ireland’s first artificial reef in north Mayo. The ship,, which is currently the property of the Revenue Commissioners, is expected to arrive in Killala Bay next week. Killala Bay Ships 2 Reef Ltd, which is made up of a group of diving enthusiasts, was granted permission to sink the ship in July. However, before this can be done, an Underwater Archaeological Impact Assessment must be submitted. The assessment is due to be completed this week, and it is expected the green light to sink the ship will be given within 24 hours of the assessment being submitted. Once this has been cleared, the ‘Shingle’, which is currently in dry dock in New Ross Harbour, will be towed to Killala Bay. It will take three days to bring it up from Sep 9. Those behind Killala Bay Ships 2 Reef Ltd have invested up to €35,000 of their own money into the project, and they have also received €50,000 in funding from Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS) towards it. The vessel was seized in 2014 after customs officers discovered 32 million packets of cigarettes worth €13 million on board. As Ireland’s first artificial reef, the wreck is expected to attract divers from around the world, bringing economic benefits to the region.

Decision awaited regarding scuttling of Shingle as Ireland's first artificial reef

A tourism project in County Mayo is waiting to hear if a decision will lead it to receiving a licence to tow the 'Shingle' into Killala Bay as part of a plan to create an artificial reef. The ship was centre-stage in 2014 when Irish authorities seized the ship in a major smuggling operation at Drogheda Port. In the last five years, the Killala Bay Ships 2 Reef Ltd. has been working to get the 'Shingle' towed to Killala Bay, to enable the 42 year-old ship to be sunk and create what would be the first artificial reef in Ireland. On the River Barrow the 60m ship went into the dry dock at New Ross Boatyard on April 9, 2024. The facility downriver of the County Wexford inland port of New Ross, is where the vessel is to be either scrapped or prepared to be towed to Killala Bay for sinking. To proceed with such an action, the Killala Bay Ship 2 Reef, requires a Maritime Area Consent (MAC) licence from the Maritime Regulatory Authority (MARA). Last November, an application was submitted, but a decision is awaited. The Councillor Michael Loftus was hopeful about the MAC licence. “The Revenue Commissioners have been working with us to get the best outcome for the Shingle, creating Ireland's first artificial reef that will generate a major attraction and financial benefit in Mayo and Sligo. It would be a major mistake if the Shingle were to be scrapped because of a delay in getting the MAC's licence from MARA. Time is running out.” It was almost a year ago when the 'Shingle' was finally towed out of Dublin Port from where it had been idle for almost a decade, following the vessel's relocation from the County Meath port. Report with photo: https://afloat.ie/watersport/diving/item/62815-key-decision-awaited-on-plans-to-sink-ship-off-mayo-coast